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Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage are set to bring to life Brian K. Vaughan’s Runaways, which follows six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other, but who must unite against a common foe – their parents.

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Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage are getting back on the TV horse, this time bringing to life a beloved Marvel property for Hulu. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, the man behind Saga and Ex Machina, Runaways is the comic in question, which follows the story of six diverse teenagers who can barely stand each other, but who must unite against a common foe – their parents.

Speaking to Deadline, Schwartz said of the project: “I’m a long-time fan of Runaways and couldn’t be more excited to bring Brian and Adrian’s characters to life”.

“Josh and I can’t wait to get to work for Marvel and Hulu”, added Savage.

And a coming-of-age story like Runaways should come easily to the duo, considering their joint work on Gossip Girl, along with Schwartz’s other hugely successful show, The O.C, which starred the comics-obsessed cult character Seth Cohen.

“We’ve known the Runaways story would make great television”, said Jeph Loeb, EP and Head of Marvel Television, “and being lucky enough to have Josh and Stephanie — who have time and again created shows that speak so genuinely to this exact audience — write and produce the series is nothing short of remarkable”.

So, while we wouldn’t have said there was any particular need for yet another Marvel TV show to hit our screens, we must admit we’re pretty excited about Runaways.

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Elon Musk weighs in on Suicide Squad

If you thought Elon Musk wouldn’t have time to spend 2 hours and 10 minutes watching Suicide Squad, think again. The billionaire business mogul took to Twitter yesterday to voice his opinions on the DC super-villain flick, which he thought was just okay.

Responding to The Verge’s review of the film which stars Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto, Musk tweeted “Movie still enjoyable due to some great characters, but plot & editing could’ve been better. Really needed more Joker+Harley”.

@verge Yeah. Movie still enjoyable due to some great characters, but plot & editing could’ve been better. Really needed more Joker+Harley.

We’re sure Jared Leto would agree that his cackling green haired madman was deserving of more screen time, and we certainly could’ve done with more of his gorgeously wicked scenes with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.

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Suicide Squad the next blockbuster to be blocked from China?

Adding insult to the injury of its largely negative reception so far, DC’s Suicide Squadmay not be getting a cinematic release in the #2 worldwide film market of China.

Following last month’s news that the female-led Ghostbusters reboot had been denied a Chinese release, Suicide Squad is apparently ‘unlikely to be released in China’ according to The Hollywood Reporter, with sources saying that the super-villain teamup flick hasn’t been put on the release schedule of China Film Group – the distributor that manages the import of foreign movies – when releases are usually planned at least two months in advance.

“They think this is not a good film to release in China”, says one Chinese executive without further elaboration.

While details about the decision making process have not been released, we suspect that the ‘criminal’, ‘villainous’ content of the movie could be somewhat responsible, even though Warner Bros. has tried its hardest to work around Chinese censorship with the film’s PG-13 rating and local-language title of ‘X特遣队’, translating to Special Task Force X.

Meanwhile, if it does get blocked, Suicide Squad won’t be the first big superhero film not shown in China, with 2015’s Deadpool being banned for its R-rated content.

Suicide Squad is still expected to have a successful opening weekend in the countries where it is released, and opens in UK cinemas today, Friday August 5th.

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Which Justice League star is making a cameo in Suicide Squad?

According to Entertainment Weekly, Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, aka The Flash, will be zooming in for a cameo in DC’s Suicide Squad, which hits UK cinemas next Friday (August 5th).

While his appearance in the David Ayer-directed film will be a brief appearance, we know how much the superhero speedster is capable of doing in a short amount of time, as demonstrated by his intriguing stint in Bruce Wayne’s Batman v. Superman dream sequence earlier this year.

We’re particularly excited to see more of Miller’s character – who seems to lean closer to Evan Peters’s Quicksilver in Marvel’s X-Men than Grant Gustin’s small screen take on Barry Allen – following last week’s unveiling of new Justice League footage at San Diego Comic Con.

Take a peek at Miller’s witty loner at around 0:50 in the clip below:

Suicide Squadstarring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne and Jared Leto premieres in the UK on Friday, August 5th.

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Cult fans will be excited to learn that Danai Gurira has been confirmed to star in Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther.

One of the many exciting developments gleaned from this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the news that Gurirawould be joining the already impressive cast including Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o was announced at Marvel’s SDCC panel, and confirmed by a number of online sources.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gurira – who’s best known for the role of sword-wielding Michonne in AMC’s The Walking Dead – has been cast as Okoye: “the head of the Dora Milaje, the personal body guards of the Black Panther”.

Under the direction of Creed writer-director Ryan Coogler, the much anticipated film will expand on the Black Panther character we fell in love with in this year’s Captain America: Civil War, and is expected to hit theatres in 2018.

“Ryan has beautiful things in store for us”, Boseman told the crowds at Comic Con over the weekend. And we absolutely believe him.

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Benedict Cumberbatch gets his kit off in new Doctor Strange trailer

San Diego Comic Con has been filling us with joy and excitement with all manner of reveals over the weekend, but we’ve got to admit that our favourite reveal had to be that of a bare chested Benedict Cumberbatch in the latest trailer for Marvel’s Doctor Strange.

Boasting Inception style visual effects and gorgeous settings, this latest instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 3 seems to be courting an even wider audience than the existing comics film fanbase.

And while we’re still not completely sold on Cumberbatch’s American accent, the more we see of Mikkelsen as the villainous Kaecilius has us hopeful that Marvel might finally be improving upon its tendency toward underdeveloped antagonists.

Doctor Strange hits UK cinemas on October 28th 2016, ahead of its American release on November 4th.

New Wonder Woman pictures make superhero landing online

Super stunner Gal Gadot has been unveiled gracing one of the variant covers of Entertainment Weekly’s Comic Con 2016 special. And we’re pretty excited about it. Not only does the feature give… read more

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New Wonder Woman pictures make superhero landing online

Super stunner Gal Gadot has been unveiled gracing one of the variant covers of Entertainment Weekly’s Comic Con 2016 special. And we’re pretty excited about it.

Not only does the feature give us some ace scoops straight from the set of Wonder Woman, it also gives us our first look at Star Trek mainstay Chris Pine in his role as the Amazonian superheroine’s love interest, and more images of Gadot just downright slaying it.

With a subheading calling its cover star “fierce” and “funny”, readers will undoubtedly be keen to see the elusive actress’s personality shine through a little more. And from what we’ve read, Gadot doesn’t disappoint.

Speaking to the magazine about her experiences of standing tall atop a five story building, dressed in her not-so-warm Wonder Woman costume in London in March, Gadot said in the spirit of her character’s fearlessness:

“It was such an important moment. Even though the weather was not cooperating, I had to deal with it”.

When asked more about the discomfort, Gadot replied: “What’s to say? It was cold. My ovaries froze”. Yas queen.

We also get to hear from the film’s director, Patty Jenkins, who’s also pictured in the feature:

“I think part of the reason Wonder Woman hasn’t happened [until now] is because the right way to do it is as a classic origin story”, she said. “People were afraid to do it with a woman, and now they are less so”.

Praising Gadot’s work in the role, Jenkins continued: “The natural spirit of Gal is Wonder Woman. She’s so kind, so good, so beautiful, and capable of being sexy, but not in a way that makes other women uncomfortable. It’s what Wonder Woman should be”.

With these kinds of badass women behind the production, we can’t wait to see Wonder Woman when it hits cinemas next June.

X-Men TV series ‘Legion’ gets UK broadcaster

Today, in exciting news for those of us on this side of ‘the pond’, FOX UK has confirmed that it will air Legion to UK audiences when the show makes its global premiere in early 2017.

Starring Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens, Rachel Keller and Jean Smart of Fargo, and Parks and Recreation‘s Aubrey Plaza, Legion will centre around the origin story of young David Haller, also known as ‘Legion’ after his multiple personality disorder, who has family ties to X-Men legend, and mutant powers that were wrongly diagnosed as schizophrenia in his teenage years.

“Legion is just the sort of ambitious story that Noah excels at. His adaption of Fargo for television was one of the most acclaimed television events in recent memory. It’s also an honour to partner with Marvel on Legion and to enlist such an accomplished team of Executive Producers to create this pilot.”

Significantly, this partnership between Marvel TV and FOX means that the two companies are willing to exchange licensing for comics properties. Will this also apply to film rights? Only time can tell.

Legion is set to premiere on FOX networks in early 2017 to more than 125 countries. More news on TVGuide.co.uk as we hear it!

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WATCH: The first 4 minutes of AMC’s ‘Preacher’ released online

The much anticipated Preacher series – adapted by AMC from the darkly comedic DC/Vertigo comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon – may not premiere in the U.S. til Sunday, but that hasn’t stopped the network from ‘leaking’ the first four minutes of the show’s pilot episode. And we’ve gotta say; our appetites are duly whetted.

Spearheaded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the guys behind Superbad and This Is The End, the 10-episode programme stars Dominic Cooper (no stranger to comic book adaptations following his roles in Captain America and Marvel’s Agent Carter) as the titular small-town preacher, Jesse Custer, who finds himself endowed with an unconventional power upon returning home to West Texas to take over his father’s church.

Fellow Brit Joseph Gilgun of Misfits and This is England stars alongside Cooper as hard-drinking Irish vampire Cassidy, while Ethopian-Irish beauty Ruth Negga, also a Misfits alum, plays Custer’s ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare. However, we only get a glimpse of Cooper in the series’ bloody opening moments, which you can see here:

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Who are DC’s Legends of Tomorrow?

Batman, Superman, Arrow, The Flash… I think it’s fairly safe to say we’re all well acquainted with DC’s legends of today. But what about the comics publisher’s Legends of Tomorrow? Faithful viewers of The Flash and Arrow will recognise at least a handful of these superpowered personalities, but for the uninitiated, or those in need of a refresher course, here’s a brief introduction to the stars of the new DC team-up show, Legends of Tomorrow, which premieres on Sky 1 this March 3rd.

Martin Stein

Portrayed by: Victor Garber (Argo)

First Appearance: The Flash S1E13 “The Nuclear Man”

When the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator erupted, the life of physics professor Martin Stein was forever changed, as he found himself fused with the ghostly form of Caitlin Snow’s fiancé Ronnie Raymond. By developing a quantum ‘splicer,’ the S.T.A.R. Labs team allowed the two men to return to separate forms, however their bond demanded that they merge regularly or face nuclear meltdown. When Ronnie was lost to the singularity over Central City, Stein needed to find a new match with whom to create a new Firestorm…

Jefferson Jackson

Portrayed by: Franz Drameh (Edge of Tomorrow)

First Appearance: The Flash S2E4 “The Fury of Firestorm”

Will you check out this lil’ cutie? Jefferson ‘Jax’ Jackson made his on-screen debut earlier in the current season of The Flash, where we learned how his plans for a professional football career were ruined by the particle accelerator’s blast wave, which sent him hurtling into a concrete wall (he’d been too busy saving the lives of others to seek safety for himself). The episode saw the team at S.T.A.R. Labs discovering that Jax was a metahuman match for Martin Stein, with whom he could merge to form Firestorm. Move over, Ronnie!

Hawkman

Portrayed by: Falk Hentschel (Transcendence)

First Appearance: The Flash S2E8 “Legends of Today”

Carter Hall/Khufu/Hawkman swooped onto the scene when he appeared earlier in this season of The Flash in search of his newly reincarnated lover and soulmate through numerous centuries, Kendra Saunders/Chay Ara, who is similarly locked in a cycle of death and reincarnation, and fleeing immortal/reincarnating villain Vandal Savage.

Hawkgirl

Portrayed by: Ciara Renée

First Appearance: The Flash S1E23 “Fast Enough”

When Kendra Saunders moved to Central City, she had no real explanation for her attraction to the place. She came across as a normal girl working in a local coffee shop, who later found a boyfriend in Cisco Ramon. Then Vandal Savage tracked her down, alerting her to the massive magical wings that grow from her back. It’s expected that more of Chay-Ara’s ancient combat skills and knowledge will surface as her memories of past lives return.

Atom

Portrayed by: Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)

First Appearance: Arrow S3E1 “The Calm”

Here’s a familiar face! Looking a bit like a chemical reaction has taken place between The Simpsons’sRadioactive Man and Marvel’s Iron Man, Ray Palmer is the first technology-based hero in the DC television universe. He’s also the CEO of Palmer Technologies, and used to date Felicity Smoak. Could his former flame be cropping up in the team-up show, we wonder?

Captain Cold

Portrayed by: Wentworth Miller (Prison Break)

First Appearance:The Flash S1E4 “Going Rogue”

After acquiring a Cold Gun engineered within S.T.A.R. Labs (and taking the moniker of ‘Captain Cold’), criminal Leonard Snart set out to uncover the true identity of The Flash. Upon learning that he was police scientist Barry Allen, Snart and the hero came to an agreement: Snart would carry out his plans ensuring that no innocent people would be harmed in the process, and The Flash would keep his distance.

Heat Wave

Portrayed by: Dominic Purcell (Prison Break)

First Appearance:The Flash S1E10 “Revenge of the Rogues”

Recruited by Leonard Snart when he needed some extra fire power against Central City’s new metahuman protector, pyromaniac Mick Rory’s weapon of choice is a portable flamethrower. We’re happy to see former Prison Break co-stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell reunited once again!

White Canary

Portrayed by: Caity Lotz (Mad Men)

First Appearance:Arrow S1E1 “Pilot”

Having started her role in Arrow as a romantic conquest of Oliver Queen’s, Sara Lance found a whole new calling for herself when she was recruited into the League of Assassins by Nyssa al Ghul, taking the name of ‘Canary’. Now swapping black for white, it seems Sara has a heroic career ahead of her.

Rip Hunter

Portrayed by: Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who)

First Appearance:DC’s Legends of Tomorrow

The freshest face in the team, Rip’s character – who has not yet been explored on television – was the star of the DC comic book series Rip Hunter… Time Master between 1961 and 1965, meaning that this will be Darvill’s second foray into time-travel. As a time master, Rip has witnessed the terrible future that will unravel thanks to Vandal Savage. To help preserve humanity’s future, he collects an assortment of heroes and villains.